


1920

by MissDawsonHadleyRivers



Category: Titanic (1997)
Genre: Cora Cartmell lives, EIGHT YEARS LATER, F/M, Jack Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:15:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27263329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissDawsonHadleyRivers/pseuds/MissDawsonHadleyRivers
Summary: Eight years after Titanic, Rose and Cora live in Santa Monica. One day, Jack comes back into their lives. Jack lives, obviously. Please read and review! Disclaimer: I don't own Titanic.
Relationships: Jack Dawson/Rose DeWitt Bukater
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

1920

Thirteen-year old Cora walked down the quiet street in the fading sun. Suddenly, she stumbled, and she looked down to see a man unconscious on the ground in front of her. Cora knelt down beside the man and she started back when she saw his face. "Uncle Jack?"

He didn't wake up and she stood up, running as fast as she could towards home. "Rose!" She called. Rose stepped out of their house, her face crinkled in worry. "Cora? What's wrong?"

Cora waited a moment to catch her breath "I found Uncle Jack!" Rose's heart stopped. "W-what?" She stammered. Cora nodded "He's unconscious down the road!" She pointed in the direction she had come from. Shock was pounding through Rose's veins, but she moved forward. Cora ran down the road, Rose close on her heels. She stopped beside Jack, who lay oblivious of everything that was happening. Rose shook his shoulders gently before she noticed the empty bottle of whiskey in his hands. "He's been drinking. I think we're going to have to carry him." She grabbed his shoulders and Cora helped her drag Jack to their house and onto the couch.

Rose soaked a cloth and softly cleaned the dirt off his face. He clearly hadn't washed in a while. She didn't think she should bath him, though, if she was even strong enough to get him into the tub. Rose stroked his face gently, unwilling to leave his side, waiting for him to wake up. Cora left the room, knowing that they would want some time to themselves when Jack woke up. She could talk to Uncle Jack later.

After about an hour, he began to stir, rolling onto his side and letting out a low moan. He opened his eyes, looking around him in confusion. Then his eyes fell on Rose and she held her breath as the ocean blue eyes she had missed so much stared straight at her. "Hello Jack." She gave him a little smile. He sat up, "Rose…" He whispered in astonishment. He reached out his hand and caressed her cheek "You're real!"

Rose placed her hand over his "So are you." Jack pulled her into a hug, sobbing into her hair. "I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you, Rose, and I've hated myself every damn day for the last eight years for not telling you when I had the chance."

Rose looked deep into Jack's tear-filled eyes, tears streaming down her own cheeks, "I love you too." Jack leaned down and kissed her for the first time in eight years. His arms wrapped closely around her waist and hers curled around his shoulders. Their passion for each other hadn't changed in eight years. It was as if they had never been apart.

Rose curled up in Jack's arms. "I don't understand…. How can I have missed your name on the survivors list? There was no Rose Dewitt Bukater."

"There was a Rose Dawson, though, wasn't there?" Jack's mouth dropped open and his shock was almost comical, making Rose giggle. He looked so adorable.

"If only I'd seen Rose Dawson before I checked the Dewitt Bukaters, I might have realised… But I'd already seen that there was no Rose Dewitt Bukater, and I- I thought you were dead, and I couldn't think of anything except the pain… I saw Rose Dawson and I thought how cruel it was that there was a Rose Dawson, a name that could've been yours but would never be…" He trailed off, the painful memories overwhelming him for a moment

"Oh Jack, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Jack reassured her.

"It is though. And I didn't even check the survivors list. You- you wouldn't wake up! I thought you were dead!" Rose wept. "I'm so sorry. It still doesn't make it your fault though, Rose. Why would you check for my name on the survivors list when you thought I was dead?" Jack murmured, hating that he'd caused her so much pain. Rose shook her head, not convinced. "How are you alive?"

"I woke up under the water, and I was rescued by the second lifeboat that came back. I searched the whole ship lookin for you but I couldn't find you."

"I was hiding from Cal."

"That musta been why. And then I saw the survivors list and I thought you weren't on it and my whole world crashed down." He clutched her to his chest, breathing in her scent, reminding himself that the pain was over, Rose was alive. " Where did you go after the ship docked? Did you stay in New York?"

"I found Cora-"

"Cora survived?" Jack interrupted, relief flooding through him. His best girl had lived.

"Yes, but she was all alone, her parents didn't. So I took her with me, and we stayed in New York for about a month before we left, and we travelled until we got here four years ago. I've been working as a moving-pictures actress, just like I said I would. Where have you been?"

"I left New York two days after the ship docked, I couldn't stay in the place where we were supposed to start our lives together, and I came here about six years ago, and then the war happened and I enlisted, hoping I would be killed so that I could be with you, but I survived and I came back here. you're so much stronger than me, Rose, you've been here makin' each day count and I've been falling further and further into a bottle for the last eight years." Almost as if on cue, a flash of sunlight came through the window making Jack wince from the sudden light.

"I'm no stronger than you are Jack. The only reason I haven't fallen into a bottle is because I have Cora to look after and even then she's come down in the morning more than once to find me collapsed with an empty bottle next to me." Jack held her in his arms, rocking her gently. "But we'll be alright now, if you want me to stay that is." He wanted to stay with her so badly, more than anything in the world but if she didn't want him, after he'd spent the last eight years drinking away the pain, he'd understand. It would wreck him, but all he wanted was to make her happy.

"Of course I want you to stay." Jack grinned and kissed her. They heard footsteps moving hurriedly away. Rose looked up to see Cora, walking away from the door. "Cora, come here!" She laughed. Cora walked timidly towards them. "Uncle Jack!"

"My best girl!" Jack held out his arm to her and she flung her arms around his neck. "We thought you were dead!"

"I know, I'm so sorry."

"Are you gonna stay with us now?"

"I'm never gonna leave." They stayed there, huddled up together, reunited at last.

Author's Note: Yeah… I've started another story. This was meant to be a oneshot, but I have ideas for this story so….yeah. Tell me what you think, please!


	2. Chapter 2

Rose pulled back from the hug reluctantly "I need to cook dinner." Jack stood up with her "I would offer to help but I can't cook. At all." He said sheepishly. Rose and Cora laughed at him and Rose patted him on the head mock-patronisingly. She walked off to the kitchen, Jack following right behind her, unwilling to let her out of his sight, terrified that if he lost sight of her for even a moment he'd wake up on the side of the road and Rose would still be dead.

She started cooking and he wrapped his arms around her from behind her and began to place kisses down her neck, making her giggle. Cora watched them, smiling. When she had cooked dinner, Rose laid the plates on the table and Jack wolfed it down as if he hadn't had a proper meal in years, which he hadn't. "I love you." He said, staring at the food.

"Me? Or the food?" Rose asked smirking. Jack looked up.

"You." He said it with such tenderness and love that Rose blushed. After dinner Cora, sensing that they would want to be alone, went up to her room, leaving Rose and Jack curled up together on the couch. Jack ran his hands through her curls, smiling. Rose turned her head and gazed at him adoringly. "What is it?" Jack asked, gazing back at her.

"I thought I'd lost you… I'm still getting used to you being here." She wrapped her fingers around his blond locks and pulled his face towards hers. He kissed her fervently. Nothing mattered to them except each other.

When the clock said midnight, they walked upstairs together, pausing outside Rose's bedroom silently for a moment before Rose giggled and shoved the door open. Jack followed her, laughing, and reached his hands around her waist, drawing her into a passionate kiss. They fell backwards onto the bed. "To the stars." Rose whispered sultrily.

"With pleasure, Miss." Jack murmured, placing kisses down her neck .

The next morning, after breakfast, Cora went for a walk and soon after Rose went out to shop, leaving Jack alone in the house. A few minutes after she left the house, paranoia started to creep over Jack. What if she got hurt? What if Cal found her? He slouched at the table drawing Rose surrounded by flowers and his hand shook, drawing a line over the whole drawing. "Damn it." He looked up to pick up another piece of paper and froze. Rose lay on the floor, covered in cuts and bruises. Jack leapt up from the table "Rose!" He fell to his knees. She wasn't breathing. "Rose! No, Rose, no! Don't leave me, please!" Jack broke down in sobs. How was she here? How had she got there without him noticing?

Rose entered the house. "Jack? What's wrong?" She ran to him and frowned as she saw him staring at empty air. "Jack!" He blinked and Rose's lifeless body vanished. He saw Rose kneeling beside him unharmed and pulled her towards him, running his hands gently yet frantically over her to make sure she had no injuries. "Rose! You're alright!" He said in relief.

"Of course I am, I just went to the shops. I don't understand, what happened?" She tried to figure out what had caused Jack to react like this. "You were- you were dead, I didn't protect you and you were dead." Jack choked out between his sobs.

"You must have been imagining things Jack." They had thought each other dead for the past eight years, after all, and Rose knew the painful memories wouldn't ever fully leave.

Jack nodded. "It was so real, though Rose." Rose rubbed his back soothingly.

"I know, I know, Jack. But it wasn't real. I'm right here."

Later that day, Jack picked up his plate to wash it up and his hands shook making him drop the plate. "Shit!"

"Hey, it's okay, it's just a plate." Rose leaned down to pick the pieces up, but Jack caught her hands in his. "You might cut your hands."

"So might you."

"Well I dropped it, I'll clean it up." Rose smiled at his over-protectiveness and went back to the script she was reading. Jack crouched down to pick up the pieces of the plate, but his hands shook so badly he couldn't pick anything up. He swore under his breath.

"Jack?" Rose stood up when she saw him struggling. He looked up at her.

"I can clean this up, really. I don't know why… I'm fine. I'm fine." Jack insisted. He turned to look at Rose and her concerned face twisted in pain as she slumped to the floor. "Rose!" Jack looked her over desperately, gathering her up in his arms, looking for injuries. She seemed to have none, but she stayed almost motionless in his arms. "Rose! Wake up!" He begged her.

"Jack!" Rose's cry broke through his nightmare. She disappeared from his arms and he felt her hand on his cheeks. "Jack, what happened?"

"I- you, I, I musta been imagining things." He tried to run his hands over her hair, but they shook and he couldn't. He stared at his hands in confusion.

"I'm getting the doctor."

Jack opened his mouth to protest he was fine but then he nodded. He couldn't bare these nightmares he kept seeing. "I think that might be a good idea."

Rose returned with a doctor half an hour later. "What seems to be the problem?"

"I keep seeing things, awful things. And my hands are shaking."

"Do you normally drink quite a lot?" The doctor asked gently. Jack nodded.

"I used to." He had no need to drink his pain away anymore.

"When did you last drink?"

"Yesterday."

"Ah. I think I know what's wrong. If you've been used to drinking heavily and now you've stopped for longer than you would typically…" He trailed off questioningly. Jack understood what the doctor was getting at. "I don't remember the last time I was sober for more than an hour or so… since the war. And I wasn't always sober then."

The doctor nodded grimly. This young man had clearly gone through a lot of pain. "Yes, well, normally stopping causes these kinds of things. It generally stops within a few days but if it get worse, you should come get me again."

Rose nodded "Thank you, doctor." When the doctor had left, Rose turned to Jack. "You don't remember the last time you were properly sober?" Jack looked down at the floor. "No… I'm sorry, I just couldn't, I couldn't… the pain was too much. I just needed to forget."

"Forget me?" Rose asked softly. She would understand if Jack had wanted to forget, the memories had been so painful sometimes over the years.

"No! No, never! I didn't want to forget you, I wanted to forget what I thought had happened to you. It never worked though. I'd rather die than forget you." Rose wrapped her arms around him, and he held her closely. His hands started to shake again, and Rose pulled back and held his trembling hands in her own. "Its going to be alright, Jack, I promise." Jack nodded.

When Cora came home from her walk, she found them curled up again on the couch, but she could see something was wrong. Jack was tense and from her viewpoint, Cora could see his hands shaking. "Rose? Uncle Jack? What's wrong?"

Jack tried to smile reassuringly "It's nothing, Cora." Rose shook her head.

"You don't have to protect us from everything, Jack." She said, turning her head towards him. "She has to know." Jack slumped back in defeat.

"I don't want you to worry unnecessarily."

"You don't want us to worry at all." Rose pointed out.

"Is that so bad?"

"No." Rose murmured and they gazed into each other's eyes and Cora shuffled her feet awkwardly. They both jumped and turned back to her.

"He drunk a lot over the last eight years and stopping so suddenly causes some problems, but the doctor said he'll be fine in a few days." Rose told Cora and Jack nodded. Concern swept through Cora. She sat down on the other side of Jack to Rose and leaned on his shoulder.

The next day, Jack was no better. "Maybe you should drink just a little? Try to come off it slower?" Rose suggested, hating seeing him the way he was. Jack shook his head.

"Jack, you don't have to be strong all the time." Rose insisted.

"Rose, I've woken up in a jail cell because I attacked somebody while I was drunk more times than I can remember. If I was drunk around you, I don't even want to think about what- what I might do. I won't hurt you, Rose. I won't." He spoke firmly. Rose brushed her thumb over his rough, tanned hands. She trusted that he wouldn't hurt her, but she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't take the risk, no matter how much pain he was in.

"I'm supposed to have work today but maybe I should…"

"Rose, I'll be alright. Don't stay at home just for me." She looked doubtful. "Really, I'll be alright, honestly."

"I suppose Cora can look after you…"

"I don't need to be looked after, Rose. I'll just stay here-" They both thought of the last time he had said words to that affect. "You know what I mean." Rose nodded slowly.

"Alright." She dressed and brushed her hand along his cheek and he leaned into her touch before she left for work.

Author's Note: I'm not a doctor so all I know about alcohol withdrawal comes from google. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. I really appreciate the reviews I've got, thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

When Rose got back from work that afternoon, she found Jack sitting up, his legs drawn up under the covers, intently focused on his drawing. As she got closer, she saw her own face drawn painstakingly carefully. "You flatter me." She smiled, sitting down beside him. He looked up startled before he smiled too, shaking his head "I don't think I ever do you justice."

"You see other people but you don't see yourself. Jack?" She asked in concern as Jack's gaze focused on a point behind her and then slid down and he slumped to the floor, his arms curling around something she couldn't see. "Rose! Rose, please wake up!" He begged frantically. Rose wrapped her arms softly around his shoulders and neck. He blinked and his head snapped towards her "Rose?"

She nodded "What did you see Jack?"

He winced "I saw you and you- you were dead." He told her haltingly, biting his lip to try and stop tears falling from his eyes unsuccessfully. Rose sighed "I'm sorry Jack."

Jack looked at her in confusion "You have nothing to be sorry for." He brushed his hand along her jaw.

"I want to make you happy Jack, but I'm just hurting you."

"You're not hurting me Rose, what's hurting me is losing you, and I have no one to blame except myself."

"Oh, Jack…" Rose's slim fingers lightly brushed away his tears. "You're not going to loose me, I promise. Never let go, remember?"

Jack managed a small smile "I remember." He clung to her. "I'm sorry. This isn't how I wanted to start our lives together."

"I mean, I wish you hadn't been in so much pain that you had to drink away the last eight years but I'd rather start our life like this than not at all."

A few days later, Rose came back into the house and found Jack sitting drawing on the couch. He looked up and his face broke into a huge grin. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist. Rose smiled and leaned into his embrace.

"I haven't seen anything all day." He told her.

"Oh, good." Rose said relieved.

They lay entangled on the couch. "I was thinking, maybe we could see the places we talked about, together. I finished my moving picture today." Rose suggested. Jack nodded "I'd like that. We can ride horses on the beach, in the surf." They both smiled, remembering the last time he'd said that.

"You don't need to show me how to ride like a man, I managed to show myself." Rose lifted her chin proudly. Jack tangled his fingers in her red curls. "You're amazing, you know that?" Something else occurred to Rose. "We need to ask Cora. It wouldn't be fair to uproot her if she didn't want to."

"Yeah, course." Jack agreed. Then he leaned forward, lifting her chin gently, and kissed her. The kiss started sweet but it quickly turned more urgent and passionate. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer and his hands caressed her waist. Rose started to pull Jack down on top of her and he responded only by kissing her hungrily.

The door slammed "I'm home!" Cora called. Rose and Jack both sat up quickly.

"She has the worst timing." Jack grumbled. Rose bit her lip in an attempt to control her laughter but it was no use. She burst out in a fit of giggles. Jack started to laugh too and when Cora came in, she was perplexed to see them both bent double with laughter. "What's so funny?"

They exchanged glances before turning back to Cora "Nothing!" They said in unison. Cora looked between them and rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"Cora, we were wondering, if maybe you would want to travel again?" Rose asked cautiously. To their relief, Cora nodded eagerly "When can we go?" Rose and Jack shared a look.

"As soon as possible." Jack replied for both of them. Something occurred to him "Can I see your moving picture, Rose?"

"Sure."

"She's the best, Uncle Jack!" Cora told him.

When morning came the next day, they walked to the cinema and settled down on the seats. Jack watched the black and white image of Rose move around on the screen in absolute adoration. Cora noticed this and nudged Rose, and they both giggled. At the end of the film, they tumbled out of the cinema, laughing. "That was incredible! You're incredible!"

"Thank you."

They went home, grabbed their few bags and left, catching the nearest train to Monterey.


End file.
